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'All Players United' movement to take to BCS skies

On select weekends this college football season, players on several teams displayed the letters "APU" on their uniforms in a sign of college athlete unity and protest over issues in their sport. On Monday

On select weekends this college football season, players on several teams displayed the letters "APU" on their uniforms in a sign of college athlete unity and protest over issues in their sport.

On Monday before the BCS National Championship Game, the sign will be more visible than ever.

The National College Players Association, which conceived the "All Players United" slogan, has contracted to have a plane fly a banner reading, "All Players United for Concussion Reform. Wake up NCAA!" over the Rose Bowl for three hours prior to kickoff. The banner is expected to encircle the stadium from 4:30 to 7:30 ET.

"We've been thinking about bringing attention to concussion reform at the national championship game for a year now," Ramogi Huma, the NCPA's executive director, told USA TODAY Sports. "Obviously it's the biggest game of the year and the sport with the highest risk of brain trauma."

FAA regulations declare the area above a stadium of 30,000 seats or more "National Defense Space" for a period of one hour before an event at such a facility to one hour after. The BCS National Championship Game is scheduled to kick off at 8:30.

Huma said the impetus and desire for the message is as strong as ever in the wake of testimony from NCAA Director of Health and Safety David Klossner that was released in July and suggested a lack of oversight and direction on concussion protocols.

In describing the APU movement's priorities, Huma said of concussions, "I would rank it at the top. This can be a matter of life or death. There's very little money being invested in research to inform players what the risks actually are. Reducing contact in practice costs no money. Unfortunately it seems the NCAA priority is to avoid liability instead of saving brains."

NCAA spokesperson Stacey Osburn said, "The NCAA has been at the forefront of safety issues throughout its existence, and the Association has specifically addressed the issue of head injuries through a combination of playing rules, equipment requirements, and medical best practices.

"Student-athlete safety is one of the NCAA's foundational principles and will continue to be a core priority, even though courts around the country have noted that organizers of sports competition, like the NCAA, are not under a legal mandate to do so."

Huma and NCPA in the past two years have requested meetings with every FBS conference, but the Pac-12 is the only one that has engaged in dialogue with the group.

That setback is in contrast to this season's grassroots APU effort, Huma said. "I think it's been enormously successful," Huma said. "We didn't know if any other players would participate. We are very happy with the success this fall. I think this area of protest is a way to keep these issues front and center. They cannot avoid the players' voice."